October 25, 2017

Ex-Prez HW Bush accused of ass-grabbing: #MeToo overload or the beginning of the end of Old Man Privilege?

I'm reading The Daily Mail: "Former US president George HW Bush apologises after actress claims he 'sexually assaulted' her from his WHEELCHAIR in this photograph - with his wife Barbara standing by his side/Actress Heather Lind made allegations Tuesday claiming when she met former President George H.W. Bush, 93, he 'sexually assaulted' her from his wheelchair/She claimed the 'assault' happened during a photo-op with wife Barbara Bush standing by his side, and claims his wife saw the incident unfold/The now 34-year-old actress also claimed that afterwards Bush's security detail told her she shouldn't have stood next to the former president for the photo-op/Lind says this happened four years ago while she was promoting a movie/In a statement to DailyMail.com the former president has apologized for the incident saying it was an 'attempt at humor' and not meant to offend Lind."

Now, I said "#MeToo overload" when a woman accused Elie Wiesel of taking the same advantage in a photo op and getting his hand onto the ass of the woman who stood next to him. People do line up and crowd together tightly in photographs, and one often accepts/endures the waist-grabbing that seems excusable in the interest of getting us all into the picture frame. How far down from the waist can a person go before the other person knows he's taking advantage? For the photo subject who's enjoying the contact, just the touching of the sides of the arms may be a thrill. For the one who does not want contact, even that may be repugnant.*

I think most contact-seekers in that situation stick to a hand at waist-level pulling the other person closer, and even that can be offensive to the one who doesn't want contact, but the would-be contact-avoider will probably put up with it, and the contact-seeker has deniability. Then what about the hand on the top of the hip? That can seem deniable too. And the fingers on the outside of the middle of the hip? Can that work? Once the contact-seeker has his fingers at the right latitude, the heel of his hand can reach the desired longitude on the globe that is the ass.

But an older man may think he has Old Man Privilege and that it's cool for him to show he's still got some life in him and everyone will think it's just fine if he forthrightly gropes the ass. HW Bush's apology calls it an "attempt at humor."

I remember something Jeb Bush said back in July 2015, when his father was in the hospital: "[My] dad gets in the hospital kind of pretty regularly at 91, he's a little frail. But when he starts telling semi-dirty jokes to the nurse, we know he's on the rebound." I quoted that in a post titled "Jeb Bush has a tin ear for sexism" and said:
Apparently, Jeb thinks the old sexy nurse trope works today. The audience warmly chuckles, and Jeb thinks he's cute, because his dad is so old and sweet. But that doesn't play with me or, I suspect, with many modern women. Old men in the hospital leering at the nurses. Ugh!
I want to stress the importance — as we're fired up about sexual harassment — of not wrongly lumping things together. I wouldn't rake the dead Elie Wiesel over the coals for a 3-decade-old ass-grope (even if that happened). And I wish ancient HW well. But there is something I'm going to call Old Man Privilege that needs to be seen and rejected. It's not cute. It should not be endured as routine. A mentally incompetent old person should be treated with empathy, but women should not be expected to smile and indulge groping. HW should know better, and Jeb should certainly know better.

Donald Trump was rightly excoriated for saying, "And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything."

Similarly, we need to reject the idea And when you’re an old man, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the ass. You can do anything.

________________________

* I myself dropped out of participating in a certain significant law school activity because it involved sitting in small, locked together chairs in a way that forced me to accept over an hour of thigh-to-thigh contact with a colleague on either side of me. No one was groping me, but I couldn't accept being seated like that. Similarly, some people won't fly on airplanes because of the risk of being forced into thigh or arm contact with another person. I avoid almost all flying for a number of reasons, and that is certainly one of them. It's awful if you have the feeling that the other person is getting a kick out of it!

257 comments:

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tcrosse said...

This adds a few inches to Meryl Streep's moral High Horse from which she will deliver us her next Sermon. Sanctimony never goes out of style.

walter said...

Yes whimsy..as mentioned/discussed earlier in thread.

Bay Area Guy said...

Democratic "They-too-ism:"

Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner -- texted a minor with sexually explicit pictures. Convicted felon.

Democratic Mega-Donor Harvey Weinstein -- casting couch extraordinaire, likely rapist.

Republican President George HW Bush -- 93-year old in wheelchair, grabs ass, apologizes.

Republican President DJ Trump -- used the word "pussy" on videotape.

A wee bit asymetrical, even without getting into Billy Jeff Clinton territory.

Ralph L said...

Bad air on board

My only plane trip since 1988 had a 2 hr stop in Chicago in August. I felt fine when on the plane, but immediately in the airport I wanted to lie down and die, yet fine again as soon as I re-boarded. Not used to Midwest pollen or disinfectant in the airport air?

Professional lady said...

Actually, I think if a 90 year old man in a wheelchair touched me in in the way described, I probably wouldn't tell him off. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt due to age and infirmity. But, I still think women(including me)should get better at saying "hands off."

Chuck said...

Big Mike said...
No, Chuck. Trump is not *our* trigger. Trump is the excuse you always use to attempt to deflect attention to every revelation of leftist corruption.

@Qwinn, you cracked the code! Unlike Chuck, I really am a lifelong Republican who was, formerly, very active in local politics, and Chuck’s opinions are unlike the opinions of any other Republican I’ve ever known...

You gotta get out more, Big Mike.

I don't claim to be all that smart, or important. My humble opinions track pretty closely with those of Jonah Goldberg, Steve Hayes and Kevin Williamson. Just to pick three political writers who should be well known to Althouse readers.

I disagree with the three of them very infrequently, and particularly on matters relating to President Trump. I'd like to think my opinions are like theirs.

All three are published conservatives, all three have been some of the most important voices on the right expressing criticism of the Clinton years, and Hillary Clinton, and the Obama years, and the liberal bias of much of the mainstream media.

Now, Big Mike, let's agree that there is a huge divide right now, between people like the three whom I just mentioned, and people like Hannity and Rush and Steve Bannon. Okay? Are we in agreement so far?

Here is where it gets tricky for you. Hannity and Rush denounce the GOP establishment, and most of the Republicans in Congress. I don't hear most Republicans talking like that. They want to destroy Mitch McConnell. I don't hear most Republicans talking like that. And apart from Steve Bannon's tenuous hold on any status as a "Republican," Hannity and Rush explicitly deny any status as Republicans.

So what sort of Republicans are you talking about? Are you talking about Congressional Republicans, talking live on television? I expect them to be quite extreme in their moderation of language and tone. Off the record, I expect just about all of them to be like Secretary of State Tillerson, calling Trump "a fucking moron."

I contend that I am a Republican like John McCain (a former Republican nominee for president), Bob Corker (the Republican Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee), Jeff Flake (a six-term conservative Republican in the House, now in the Senate, and the one-time Executive Director of the Goldwater Institute), John Kasich (the two-term Republican governor of Ohio, and a former House GOP leadership member during the Gingrich years). If none of those people are "Republicans" to you, I don't know what to tell you. I do like to think that I sound like them.

Darrell said...

...immediately in the airport I wanted to lie down and die

Sally Quinn must have been in town.

Titus said...

"We all have it, Titus, but it doesn't usually hang out."

Very interesting. I learned something new today! And that thing is call a labia? I don't understand how straight men would find the labia attractive. Too close to looking like a tiny cock and where does that thing go when you are fucking. Does is crawl back in the hole or does the cock push it in? EWWWWWW.

walter said...

Chuck does come across a lot like Kasich.

walter said...

Oooh boy. Titus still needs this straightened out..so to speak.

Titus said...

What is the difference between a labia and a clitoris? I just kind of daydreamed when we studied the women's body in school. I know there is a fallopian tube somewhere and that women actually have 3 holes! Crazy. I thought there were only 2-Pee and Poop, but there is another one for Period-the 3 P's as I call them.

Darrell said...

Here's Chuck's "Conservative" buddy, Jeff Flake

Jeff Flake was 1 of 10 Republican senators who voted to confirm Loretta Lynch for Attorney General

Flake voted to fund President Obama’s unconstitutional executive amnesty.

Flake voted against Sen. Mike Lee’s 1st Amendment Defense Act

Flake voted for Obama’s $1.1 trillion Cromnibus 2015 spending bill

Flake voted to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank

Flake voted for S.2114 which increased Russia’s power at the International Monetary Fund

Flake voted for a CLEAN debt limit suspension (2014)

Flake was 1 of 11 Republican senators who voted to confirm Janet Yellen

Flake voted for the Ryan-Murray budget which lifted spending caps & raised fees (taxes) in exchange for promises of future spending cuts

Flake voted for the Gang of 8 amnesty bill

Flake voted for the post-Newtown gun grab

Flake voted AGAINST The Defund Obamacare Act of 2013 (S.1292)

Flake voted to increase debt by $900 billion in exchange for the promise of discretionary cuts in the future (2011)

Flake preferred John Kasich over Cruz or Trump in the 2016 GOP Primary.

Chuck, you and your buddy can both take a hike.

walter said...

FYI: Kasich's Dad was a mailman.

Titus said...

Do you know that at my last job we played some team exercise which consisted of playing twister-no kidding, and these are HR folks. Anywho, there was this nasty admin who worked for the company, and I hated her. Well...her twister request put her pussy right in my face and I literally smelled a combination of poop and tuna. I had to run to the restroom and throw up.

I feel bad for straighties because you always run the risk of that thang smelling like some dead sea creature. My stomach is getting a little upset just thinking about poutang.

Darrell said...

Titus--
What's the difference between your lips and any dick?

Darrell said...

Kasich's Dad was a mailman.

Did not know that. . .

Sebastian said...

Chuck said: "I do like to think that I sound like them."

No. You may think like them, but you don't sound like them. With you it's f-ing moron all the time.

I rarely respond to you because you have become a one-note despiser. I feel your pain, but it is not a productive emotion.

The most recent election(s) showed significant discontent with the Kasichs, the Flakes, the Cantors, etc., re-elected officials though they may be. As an initial Trump detractor, I tried to learn from the facts. I also observe the ineffective Congress GOPers, which tempers my discontent with Trump. I observe the insufferable moral preening by the McCains and the Flakes, which makes me dislike them more. And of course, I keep my priority straight, which is to oppose the left in any way possible. Sure, Trump is an imperfect vessel, but right now he's what we've got.

Darrell said...

Here, Titus

I wouldn't expect a guy that makes six figures (according to you) to be able to look this up.

http://www.vaginaverite.com/images/vulva1.gif

walter said...

itus said...Do you know that at my last job we played some team exercise which consisted of playing twister-no kidding
--
Ha! Knew it

walter said...

Darrell said... Kasich's Dad was a mailman.
Did not know that. . .
--So YOU were the one.

Darrell said...

Was John Kerry in Vietnam?

FullMoon said...

In a Playboy interview a hundred or so years ago, Jimmy Carter said something like"if I lust after a woman in my mind, I have committed a sin" Everybody made fun of him at the time.

Not so funny now, when lusting after a woman in your mind is close to sexual assault.

BTW, the women at Supercuts seem to be pretty careless with the thigh and boob distance when cutting hair. Cannot bring myself to complain.

Etienne said...

Titus said...What is the difference between a labia and a clitoris?

Nerves.

"You're getting on my nerves!" She said...

tim in vermont said...

Talk to any reasonably attractive, and it's a wiiiide window, woman who has ever worked at a nursing home.

tim in vermont said...

I feel bad for straighties because you always run the risk of that thang smelling like some dead sea creature.

But sometimes they smell like nectar of the gods.

Rockport Conservative said...

I was going to say what As my whimsy leads me said. Parkinson's is cruel in many ways and that is one of them.

walter said...

Fullmoon,
"I've looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times."
Your supercuts thing more..prominent..in tipping situations.

Titus said...

Yea, my hair designer sticks her big boobs and cooch in me all the time. She is Moroccan.

Bay Area Guy said...

"I had to run to the restroom and throw up."

My God, Titus cracks me up!

Titus, you are extrapolating the mystery of female beauty from 1 wretched Twister game with some aged HR slag??

That seems like a small sample size:)

For your refresher course on females, start with the easy stuff first: Nice clean, flowing hair, a nice smile with sparkling white teeth, nice curvy body, jeez.

Titus is vexed by the pussy.

Titus said...

I sometimes "lean in" when the subway is packed and I see a hot guy.

More than a few times I have leaned in and another guy leaned in and we got hard on a packed train. No one can see anything either. One time some guy and I put our hands down each others pants.

hot.

walter said...

Titus,
Yes, it IS risky.
Further:
"If it smells like cologne, leave it alone. If it smells like fish, eat it like a dish."
However, boobs will never let you down.

mockturtle said...

Yea, my hair designer sticks her big boobs and cooch in me all the time. She is Moroccan.

Hair designer? Sad.

walter said...

Fab requires effort..

Birches said...

I just remembered my spouse's grandpa was found walking around his nursing home naked with a twenty dollar bill trying to find any takers.

They adjusted his meds.

Etienne said...

My wife's gynecologist told us that a professor in medical school advised his students to specialize below the navel. The rest of the body parts were icky.

sean said...

Prof. Althouse being hypocritical again. Look, if you don't like dirty jokes, be forthright about it, like Queen Victoria. Look them in the eye and say "We are not amused." Don't be like a typical nebbish American woman, who laughs and then comes back five years later and claims she was sexually harassed by being told a joke.

And if you do feel that way, then have the integrity to say that the Victorians were right in their attitudes toward sex. Don't deride them and then replicate their attitudes while pretending to be somehow more enlightened.

FullMoon said...

tim in vermont said...

I feel bad for straighties because you always run the risk of that thang smelling like some dead sea creature.

But sometimes they smell like nectar of the gods.

10/25/17, 3:58 PM


"Once you get past the smell, ya got it licked"

Amadeus 48 said...

Typical Yalie frat-boy hijinks from Bush 41. I'm sure he used to short-sheet his roommate in the Navy. He probably gave Reagan an exploding cigar.

We have heard the chimes at midnight, Master Shallow.

Darrell said...

Pro-tip

Find a girlfriend who showers.

FullMoon said...

Darrell said...

Pro-tip

Find a girlfriend who showers.
10/25/17, 4:44 PM


Yeah, and the whole bad smell joke is kinda overdone. Sort of like #Metoo.

tcrosse said...

Woman offers to show Titus What's What.
Titus: Mom told me you have teeth Down There.
Woman: Nonsense. See for yourself.
Titus: You're right. And no wonder. Your gums are terrible.

Sabinal said...

I'm with him...I think this lady is making a mountain out of a molehill.

Yes, 41 could have assaulted her, but I doubt it at 90 and wheelchair bound. He could have touched her butt willingly, but wasn't this done out in the public view?


walter said...

It's fun to imagine the Moroccan woman somehow getting her "cooch" into Titus' face.
Must be some intense hair designing.
"Hold still.."

D 2 said...

I would note - to both the doubters and the prosecutors - that 93yr old Bush is of the age / background that even if he did not do anything, he would apologize in any case. It really is a different world. His world is long gone.

There is a Rifftrax that shows how a 50s prom night was supposed to go. (In well behaved fantasy land) It had the 2 ladies doing the riffs rather than the usual 3 guys. At one point, it explains how "the boy apologizes if couples bump into each other during a dance, even if it wasnt his fault"

The riffer says: "as it should be". My daughter and I laughed and laughed.....

Fabi said...

"I feel bad for straighties because you always run the risk of that thang smelling like some dead sea creature."

That one cracked me up, Titus!

Night Owl said...

#Metoo has jumped the shark.

When I saw a link that said a woman was molested by a 90 yr old man in a wheelchair-- in front of witnesses no less!-- I thought it was a parody and I laughed. I think that's the proper response: She should be laughed at.

If it was so traumatizing for her then she should have said something to Bush and/or his wife after the shoot, or sent a note if she didn't want to make a public scene. But if, as is more likely, it was merely awkward for her, she should've kept it to herself, or talked about it with her shrink--(any grown woman who gets traumatized by an ass-grab from a doddering old man should have a shrink.)

I agree with others that his age and illness should be mitigating factors.

My husband coined the term #Metoomuch after hearing this story.

paminwi said...

When a man does that as this idiotic woman states he did she could have taken his hand and held it so it wasn't anywhere near her ass. Everyone would have thought "what a lovely girl she wants to hold his hand". She could have then, at the end of the photo shoot, say to him in his ear "never touch my ass again"! She would then have controlled the situation and also let him know she did not approve of what he did.
Why are all these supposedly strong feminists so freaking week when it comes to standing up for themselves?
My story:I worked in a paper mill in Neenah,WI. I was in the accounting department but needed to visit the mill regularly because I was in charge of the finances of a new paper making machine. I made the mistake of wearing a skirt one day and needed to climb a ladder to view some new addition to the machine. The men told me to climb first and they would follow. I let them know I would not be so stupid to let that happen and knew exactly what they were up to. I also informed the union guys on the floor they needed to move back to their normal work positions while I climbed the ladder. They all were surprised I would address the situation this way but they all complied because my tone let them know I meant what I said. Ladies-take control of your own world & let men you won't take any crap. It worked well for me-even 35 years ago.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Has no one considered that with a Parkinson's diagnosis, President GHW Bush might have palsy or tremors and might not be able to place his hand within 6 in of where he wants it, or might not know where his hand is within 6 in?

There is no specificity about the touch. Nobody said he grabbed her or exactly what he did do. Perfectly possible that his hand caught her between the cheeks which would goose anybody but which would be purely without malice. Who would accuse this man of malice? Speak. If he did Pinscher, it would be like Barbara Bush or my great-aunt Estelle pinching your other cheeks. Old people are like that. They sometimes take liberties, are outspoken.

I think it's a great for you who evidently aren't going to grow old, to be able to tell those who are how it is for them. Incidentally as you can see from old pictures, Poppy was a major alpha and seventy years ago, that girl was meat. Yet he and Barbara, all the years and all the miles...

Here, go bother Babs, maybe you could reduce her to tears by asking malicious questions about her dying husband. And about her "complicity" in his no doubt serial touching.

Probably close to a year ago, and internet my office got hired full time. I was as usual the last to hear the news. When I did my reaction was to embrace her congratulations I just like a you know not crushing hug but a good hug. I'm a good hugger.

Anyway, among other things she's a frum girl, a well raised religious Orthodox Jewish girl. 20 years younger than me. All I can say is that the impulse was sincere and well meant. I was very happy for her, as if she had got her commission; she had been made and was at the beginning of what may be a long and successful professional career mixed with many children and a happy home, which I would wish her, with the blessing (or, kayn aynhoreh). One of those, rcocean, sorry she offends. I would hug my niece like that if she gets accepted at Harvard.

But, of course, I was perfectly conscious of my fault.

So I apologized and she was blushing and gracefully accepted it as it was intended...but boy, there goes that guy who, oh yeah, shhh.

Happily no. Whew. But it's a good thing I had Bad Lietenant privilege, whatever that means.

Bad Lieutenant said...

An intern in my office, not an internet my office, got hired. Stupid Android voice to text!

mockturtle said...

Hey, Pam, my company had a paper mill in WI, too, at Rothschild. I used to go there for mill trials.

Leora said...

I think the proper behavior if this happens to one in a public setting is to step away or if you can't for some reason, reach down and remove his hand from your body. Softly say "I can't believe you did that." If the gentleman appears embarrassed you are done. If surprised, softly say "I don't like being touched like that." If he smirks say the same thing loudly. If he repeats the offense slap him or twist back one of his fingers. If the same guy does it again, slap him like in a 50's movie. If women did this, this behavior would shortly become much less common.

Waiting three years and then complaining publicly is a bad look.

mockturtle said...

Leonora suggests: Softly say "I can't believe you did that."

I rather like jumping aside and shrieking, "Jeez, what a perv!" ;-D

mockturtle said...

Sorry. Leora, not Leonora.

walter said...

Slap it away and it's over.
#getagrip

Friedrich Engels' Barber said...

Donald Trump was rightly excoriated for saying, "And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything."

No, still incorrectly interpreted – Again, DJT was not talking about himself or his behavior, he was talking about women. He used “Grab…pussy” as an example of the most supposedly unacceptable behavior. If you have not been around a rich and famous man and seen women press hard up against him, or more explicit behavior, you might not understand. The point is that (some) women’s behavior around rich men belies the whole “don’t touch me,” instead it is don’t touch me if you aren’t rich and famous. I.e. Touching is not morality, it is economics. (Again, some women.) And some women hate that recognition.

The correct interpretation of a 34 year old actress and a 93 year old man? LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! ME! PAYSOME ATTENTION TO ME!

walter said...

#memememememe

Trashcan O Man said...

"Larry, please don't keeks me anymore."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBMm2ndeZEc

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